History Alive- Islamic Achievements Stations

History Alive- Islamic Achievements Stations

Book Making

During the rule of the Abbasids, Chinese soldiers captured during battle in central asia were discovered to be artisans skilled in paper making. These Chinese prisoners taught the captors how to make paper, and this new skill spread through the empire. As a result, book became more available and contributed to interest in all kinds of learning. Furthermore both designs and calligraphy were used to decorate books, it became a status symbol to own them. Indeed, a sign of a wealthy person was a well-stocked library.

The House of Wisdom

The House of Wisdom was an educational institution founded in Baghdad by the Abbasid caliph-Ma’mum, in 830 A.D. At the house of Wisdom, Scholars from many parts of the world translated into Arabic, Greek, Persian, and Indian texts on such topics as mathematics, astronomy, and logic. Scholars who came to the House of Wisdom translated Greek classics in philosophy and science into Arabic. These scholars helped preserve Greek Classics that might otherwise have been lost or destroyed. The results of their work also assisted in encouraging openness to new ways of thinking. In addition, the House of Wisdom’s extensive library, which was open to the public, contained Qur’ans and collections of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and books on law, poetry, history, and the like. The library was a model for other large libraries throughout the Islamic world.

Astronomy

Astronomy--- the scientific study of the skies—was an area in which Islamic scientists made great achievements. For centuries, astronomers relied on the belief, put forward by the Alexandrian astronomer Ptolemy, that the earth was the center of the universe and the sun, stars, and other planets rotated around the earth. Muslim astronomers studied Ptolemy’s tables, made their own observations and gradually found and corrected many mistakes Ptolemy had made. An instrument used by astronomers that helped them make new discoveries was the astrolabe, a device adapted from the Greeks. This was a small, flat, brass disc marked off in degrees. By lining up the pointer with the sun, the user could measure latitude, tell time of day, and determine the position or movements of the stars and planets. Some astronomers, who already knew the earth was a sphere (globe), began to believe the earth rotated on its own axis and that the sun was the center of the universe. These same ideas were eventually discovered in Western Europe centuries later.

Algebra

Muslim scholars of the Abbasid period were very interested in furthering the developments of the ancient Greeks in mathematics. They spent hours flying to stump on another with difficult mathematical puzzles. For fun , they also made “magic boxes” that were grids containing numbers that added up to the same sum horizontally, vertically and diagonally. The science of algebra as we know it today was introduced by Muslims. The most famous math scholar, Al Khwarazmi (al KWAH rihz mee), introduced algebra to civilizations. Algebra comes from the word “al jabr, “which means “ the bringing together of separate parts.” In algebra, a mathematician substitutes symbols such as x, y, or z for numbers in order to solve mathematical problems.

Irrigations techniques and Underground Wells

Because water was so scarce in the desert regions of the Islamic Empire, Muslims developed ingenious irrigations techniques and utilized underground wells. Dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts were constructed throughout the Islamic Empire as early as the 10th century. Muslims also perfected the water wheel, a technique that could be operated by man, animals, or the wind. When an upright pole connected to a series of geared wheels was turned, four water scoops, rising one after another, emptied their contents into a canal. Both the Umayyad and Abbasid rulers preserved and improved the series of underground wells used to irrigate fields. Underground wells were placed as much as 50 feet deep in order to tap underground water sources and to keep water loss through evaporation (change from liquid to vapor) to a minimum. Much of the agriculture of the Islamic Empire was dependent on irrigation techniques and underground wells, as were most of the Muslim people.

Banking System

During the rule of the Abassids of Baghdad, a banking system was developed that helped to end the confusion caused by the many currencies (kinds of money) that were then in use. From this system came the word “check” from the Arabic word sakk. The Abbasids had central banks with branch offices and an elaborate systems of checks and letters of credit. It became possible for a check written on a bank in one part of the empire to be cashed in a distant city. This was important because international trade had expanded and goods were being marketed (sold) throughout the empire and abroad (in foreign countries).

Zoology

Muslim scholars made great advances in zoology, the scientific study of animals, during the Golden Age. Because for years Muslims’ lifestyle and economy were dependent on animals-for trade and travel- there was interest in the study of animals. Al-Jahiz was one of the foremost scholars to explore zoology. Born about the year 776 A.D. in the town of Basra, Al-Jahiz’s greatest contribution was a popularized (to make popular) science. During his life, al-Jahiz composed some 200 works, the most famous of which was the Book of Animals. This book contained a large collection of lore (knowledge) about animals from the Koran, the Hadith, pre-Islamic poetry, proverbs, storytellers, sailors, personal observation, and Greek writings. While the Book of Animals was full of anecdotes (short, entertaining stories), it also contained important scientific theories and information. Al-Jahiz’s work was a model for later scholars like Ibn Bakhtishu, a doctor, who wrote The Uses of Animals, an account of medicines that could be extracted from animals in the 11th century. In the 14th century Al-Damiri used al-Jahiz’s scientific information to write an encyclopedia of animals called the Lives of Animals.

Geometric and Floral Design

Muslim art was mostly abstract, which meant that the pictures did not represent real subjects like humans or animals. It was believed that human images would distract worshipers from praying to Allah. As a result, Muslim artists turned to plant patterns or geometric designs as art subjects. During the Golden Age of Muslims, these arts flourished throughout the Islamic world. The most common was the arabesque, which was a winding stem of leaves and flowers that formed a spiraling design. The arabesque decorated everything from small objects- metal boxes, ceramic bowls, tiles- to carpets and entire walls. The use of geometry in Islamic art was an expression of the idea that unity and order exists everywhere and at all times. Interlacement, which was another type of arabesque, was made of geometrical patterns drawn inside a circle and repeated several times. Despite the religious guidelines, however, paintings of both humans and animals did exist. They could be found in private places like bathhouses, women’s apartments, and living quarters of the ruling class.

Hospitals

An interest in treating illness can be traced back to the beginning of Islamic history when Muhammad himself stated that Allah had provided a cure for every illness. It was in the Muslim world that hospitals were first established. An early hospital that became a model for the future was founded in Damascus, staffed with doctors paid by the government. Hospitals were designed to promote health, cure diseases, and teach and expand medical knowledge. By the 9th century there were hospitals in all large Muslim towns. The s most advanced hospitals- like the ‘Adudi hospital in Baghdad’- attracted outstanding medical scholars and were housed in large buildings with lecture halls, libraries, pharmacies, laboratories, and patient rooms with beds. Patients with communicable diseases, as well as those recovering from surgery, were put in a separate part of the hospital

Herbal Medicines and Pharmacies

Muslim doctors experimented with the treatment of disease through herbal medicines. Plants such as coriander (an herb of the carrot family) were used for their medicinal powers. Sedatives (drugs used to calm or tranquilize), including hashish (a strong narcotic), were used to kill pain during surgery. Al-Zahrawi, a Muslim doctor from Spain, began using antiseptics (substances derived from herbs that kill germs) to cleanse wounds, a practice unheard of in other parts of Europe until centuries later. Ibn Sina, a famous Persian healer, designed treatments involving the use of herbs and medicinal plants. In addition to making advances in herbal medicine, pharmacies developed in Baghdad to provide medications to heal illnesses. Pharmacies filled prescriptions much as present- day drug stores do. Drugs were considered so important and dangerous that they were carefully supervised, both during preparation and while in storage.